Studio 274 Design

Weekly Challenges

2012-01-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

I spent the better part of the day playing to get my entries ready for Texture Tuesday and Photo Art Friday.

Started with this image

I took the time to try out a lot of new filters, work with Topaz Adjust and my new plug-in.....Photo Essentials 4. I don't know if it's my computer or the Photo Essentials that is having a problem. My Mac just seemed to get hung up and I would have to wait for the spinning beach ball. I just added more RAM, but it acts as if it need more. Computers..........arghhh!!!!

added this image

and this one

to get this

From here I added Kim Klassen's "Simplicity" texture and got this result

I liked the change in colors I achieved by using the difference blend mode.

I added Pixel Dust Photo's "Happy Day" texture

for another result

I then added Nick Fortune's "Green 1" overlay and switched PDPA's "Happy Day" to "Dream" overlay and played with various filters

I used a tile filter here

and used poster edge filter for this

The possibilities are endless. There are so many other ways to edit. Sadly Picnik is going away, and it was my go-to for fun additions. I haven't used the Actions I have for a while so perhaps I'll play with them next time.

Linking to: and

Life with Anna

2012-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Anna, our new whippet adoptee, has been with us a week now. She is a few months shy of her second birthday. The breeder's hobby is coursing (chasing a lure which is a plastic bag on a sort of a conveyor belt). She was not a good choice for the sport evidently and we were able to adopt her.

It's been many years since I've had a dog this young. Even though she is "full grown" physically, she is still a puppy mentally. As someone once said to me, "they don't get the wiggles out until they're three years old". Anna is no exception. She has a wonderful curiosity.....she wants to inspect everything.

She is easily distracted by all the new things in her life. So far she has only had one accident in the house....that was in the kitchen the first day we had her. Of course, she has us well trained......we let her out quite a bit and she seems to be getting the hang of relieving herself outside.

My husband who has trained sighthounds for years says she needs "shaping". Just getting her to walk straight and not pull on the lead is the first major shaping she is getting.

The first day I had her to myself my handyman came by to take care of some things in the house and I was a little distracted. In that time she:

1. Jumped the baby gate
2. Knocked over my coffee on the counter
3. Knocked over my dish with two vitamins in it. Probably ate the vitamins.
4. Jumped up on Mike's bird cage on the patio. (She is obsessed with both bird cages, so I can see that's going to be a problem)
5. Jumped over the open dutch door. In my trying to catch her, I fell and hit my head on the wood siding on the garage.
I can see I'm going to have to crate her when I can't supervise her every move.
Ahh, life with a puppy...............

Getting a decent photo of her is a challenge as she can't be still long enough.

She is so cute and loving, it's hard to get upset with her. She just needs to grow up a bit.

North Pole God

2012-01-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

For Photo Art Friday I started with four images and then layered with textures. The final edits are shown here

The original images are shown here

I used Pixel Dust Photo's "chinks of light" and "tangled tendrils", various blend modes and filters to achieve the different looks. The abstract results are so fun because they look nothing like the original images. I like the various plays of color depending on textures used and blend modes.

Here's a sample of my workspace.

Have a great week and stop by to see the other works here.

Fancy Pencils

2012-01-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Our challenge this week for Photo Art Friday is to use any two of Pixel Dust's textures.
I just looked after I finished this post and I think I was supposed to do an abstract piece with these textures. Just pretend this is an abstract!
If you roll your mouse across you can see the original.

I've used two of Bonnie's newest textures -- "chinks of light" and "off kilter" on my image.

The "frame it layer" is making use of my new "On One Essentials" plug-in for additional editing. It's a little like the plug-ins that are so popular right now -- Topaz, etc. I chose this frame from a library of hundreds. You can also do many other edits with this plug-in. If you go to their site, you can look at the various types of edits you get, and you can also get a free trial right now on most of their products.

Also Layer 1 is what I would call "stamp visible". It's a composite of everything that has been done and is non-destructive. It can be removed if I want to try something else. You can get the "stamp visible" layer by selecting shift alt/option command E - neat trick!

I'm linking to:

Stop in and take a look at the artistic efforts of many others by clicking on the badge above.Have a fun week!

Faces in Collage

2012-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm presently taking Sharon's (All NoraS Art) Faces in Collage class. I finally completed my first one. Sharon has great video instructions. I could watch her paint all day. She makes it seem so effortless! I'm so taken with faces....I've played a lot with them but never felt very good at them. This class gives me a chance to play with the face already in place. I just get to redecorate it. It's really a challenge to get the values/shadows right and sometimes I find my paint has dried on my palette while I'm working. Then I have a problem getting the right color mix again. Oh well......practice, practice!

Original glue down before painting

and the redecorated version

She reminds me of the Avatar woman even though she is not blue.

I'm Late, I'm Late for a Very Important Date!!

2012-01-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

I almost did not get my entry done for Photo Art Friday.

I'm having a hard time with re-entry after the holidays.

Thank goodness Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art was kind enough to share her lovely

"faded fresco" texture with us. I used it with an photo I took of

Xavier del Bac Mission outside of Tucson, AZ. Though I like it with the linear light blend I really liked the difference blend which gave it some wonderful color. If you go to Bonnie's blog, she gives instructions on how to make a border (as I did in the bottom photo) using your crop tool. Thanks, Bonnie!

Linear Light

Difference

Sharing with

Abstract Play

2012-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

I'm having so much fun with Bonnie's abstract textures. This one is called "Abstract Elements Drops of Jupiter". I put several photos together with different blend modes and then flattened the image and added this texture.

These are the photo elements I used

You can find her tutorial on her blog here. She is very generous with free textures, but I plan to purchase her abstract set.

Hope you are all enjoying the new year.

Shooting Star

2012-01-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

It's a new year and I have high hopes for a great year!!! I used one of Bonnie's abstract textures and played with blending modes per her instructions. I did several but this was my favorite.

I also added one of my custom brushes.
Have a look at the other samples by clicking on the button below.

Linking to

Tribute to Lotus

2011-12-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

We lost our beautiful Lotus two days after Christmas. I'm sitting here looking at our Christmas card with her image.....

She was found in the summer of 06 near Pear Blossom Highway in the high desert (probably was used to hunt). She had four puppies she couldn't care for.

She was emaciated and very sick. We adopted her and the puppies got adopted too, thankfully. She came to us shortly after the rescue group got her and we nursed her back to health. Her coat was so "blown" that we thought she was totally white.

Not until it grew in did we see that she had brown spots and ticking. She had the most gorgeous white eyelashes too!!

For this photo

Mike put his tee shirt on her head and we decided she looked like a nun. We sent this in the form of a birthday card to his sister who teaches at a parochial school. She got a really good laugh out of it. We called her "Sister Mary Lotus of the Ascension".

This was the original shot of her jumping for a piece of carrot -- I used it for our Christmas card. If you click on it to enlarge you can see that piece of carrot in the air above her. You can see the Christmas card in the next post.

She had the most beautiful, expressive face.....

I'm remembering how I used to get so upset with her because she had this obsession with the waste basket in the bathroom. I called her the "dumpster diva". Now I would like nothing better than to see her getting into that waste basket!!

She will always be a part of us as are the others who have gone before her.

This one is a good example of how she loved her bed.

She was a very bright spot in our lives and we shall miss her terribly. Ollie, our whippet, seems to be missing her as much as we. He's just not his playful happy-go-lucky self. We love you, Lotus.

Holiday Time

2011-12-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. It's a time when I try to make a conscious effort to be more grateful for all my blessings, a time when I feel extra "giving" and a time to share with my family and friends.

For Photo Art Friday we are sharing photos we have made into art. With that in mind I'm sharing my photo I will use for our Christmas card. Some of you saw it with a different background and I decided to jazz it up for the holidays.

Below is a photo I took last year of my DIL and grands standing behind my front door. They used it for their Christmas card. I have doctored it a bit to look a little more artsy.

From our house to yours, I wish you the best of holidays!

Poinsettias - Vintage

2011-12-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

I did some more playing with Nancy Donaldson's garage textures. Depending on the photo used, the end results are so uniquely different.

Life is a Celebration

2011-12-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

Our theme for Texture Tuesday this week is "Celebrate". I have much to celebrate. I celebrate every day that I am lucky enough to be retired from my work life. I can choose to spend my days as I wish. I celebrate that I can go to the gym every day -- today was a yoga class and the daily aerobics..... and play with my art which, at the moment, is mostly digital art.

I celebrate most importantly my best friend and spouse, whom I was lucky enough to meet 10 years ago. I celebrate our life together. This is a lot to celebrate since I had been widowed for a couple years...... and at that stage thought I would just spend the balance of my life growing older with my grands! But the Universe had other plans for me. I celebrate waking each day with all my parts moving still......LOL.

So in honor of Kim's theme......I'm really "out there" this week!

Even though these are pots of succulents......let's just pretend they are sparklers for celebration!!

Have a great week and don't forget to visit Kim's blog to see all the incredible art.

Here's my recipe

Pots of Succulents

2011-12-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

After seeing Nancy Donaldson's great cow image, I followed her tutorial and came up with my succulent image grunged up.

She is kind enough to give away her textures on her Flickr site. Visit her post on this and see what you can do with a photo and a couple of her textures. I'm going to work on a couple more photos with some of her textures to see what I come up with.

The Camp

2011-12-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

We frequent this little "shopping center" in Costa Mesa. It's called The Camp, and it is straight out of the woods. Whoever dreamed up the concept was brilliant. The concept was well executed. I always feel like I'm away at summer camp when I enter here.

There are wonderful little restaurants including 118 Degrees where nothing is heated above 118 degrees. The thought is that heating food above that temp destroys the enzymes. I'm not sure about that but their food is scrumptious!

This little street sign tells us directions to find various eateries and shops.

This antique truck lives here in this funky parking lot which marks the parking places with words like "Eat Your Vegetables, Live Life in the Fast Lane, Dance Often" etc.

The landscaping is eco-friendly and water wise.

Even the recirculating fountain here is eco friendly.

This shop was closed the day we were there. It's a flower/gift shop selling handmade items including art. The "flowers" are succulent arrangements in various really cool pots.

There are many examples of "yard art" here including this little teardrop camper. How cool is this?

I grunged it up with a Nelly Nero action "Grunge It".

Another example of eco-friendly is the rooftop garden here which provides insulation for the shops inside. There is a great shop in this building called "Seed". Everything for sale is handmade by local artists, and there are some incredible buys.

Patagonia also lives here.

Outside The Old Vine Cafe are large sequoia trees with lights hanging in them like this one.

The stairs to the second level of one of the buildings are painted as you can see below

All in all it's a delightful experience. The shops fit the concept. At the top of the stairs is a yoga studio. So be sure to wear your Birkenstocks when you visit.

See you soon!

Making Buttons

2011-12-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Just checking to see how this looks.

Next up is the final class for Marie Otero's Photo Magic. It's creating a banner/header. If I'm not posting here, you'll know I "fell in". Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I get my homework done!

Catching Up

2011-11-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

I've been absent for a while because I've been so involved in Marie Otero's Photo Magic class. Here is my entry for Photo Art Friday a bit early because of the holiday. I'm going to post some examples of what I've been doing. (Notice I'm not posting a work from my archives, but I'll do that another time.)

This one involves extracting the subject and placing on a different background. I used Kim Klassen's "Canvas Magic" here. After I did this I found a great video tutorial on Photoshop Elements site on how to do a really clean extraction....... ( I mean you can see a halo around their heads and I didn't quite get the area behind the left arm of my grand on the right}.......but you get the idea. This.......

from this......

and this.......

from this.....

We also learned to make our own bokeh and various watermarks. And we worked with gradients. Below I've used the same gradient as I did for the candy machines.

We worked with radial blurs here........

from this.....

I needed to make this image a square, so I cropped the bottom part of it.

There's much more and I'll most likely be showing you some more examples in the days to come.

Meantime......everyone, be sure to stop by Photo Art Friday on Friday to see the goodies.

Linking to

Jump for Joy

2011-11-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

Today's theme for Texture Tuesday is "Two". I should have titled this "Double Your Pleasure" to fit with the theme. I found this technique in my latest issue of Elements magazine. It really is a simple technique, but it took me longer than I had anticipated simply because part of the process is extracting the subject image. That is not one of my strong suits. Arrgh!

I used Pixel Dust Photo Art's "Medieval Magic" texture, Kim's "February Magic Edges" texture, and a stencil brush by Marie Otero. The font is "Quilted Butterfly". Join us over at Texture Tuesday and Photo Art Friday for a cuppa or a glassa and a tour of some magic art!!

I'm linking to:

and

My Love Affair with Roses

2011-11-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Photo Art Friday's eTheme this week is to try something different, something we haven't previously done - a new technique perhaps.

My roses seem to be doing so well even though the nights have been downright cold for Southern Calif. I played for two days with different textures, filters, blend modes. I really like this one SOOC.

I do believe the Double Delight is my absoute favorite, hands down. It has beautiful form (the perfect point that opens magnificently. It has a luxurious fragrance. It has incredible variety -- no two blooms are ever quite alike. Some have more red. Some are almost white with just a tinge of red on the edges. And some have quite a bit of yellow when they are first cut.

I love all kinds of flowers and foliage in the garden, but it's really hard to beat roses. They really add joy to my life!

I love the subtle look of this with French Kiss'

"Stone Blush" texture and French Kiss' "French Script" brushes.

and then there's

this look with French Kiss' "Stone Blush" and "Purple Prose" textures. I'm in love with this look.

or maybe

this look with FK's Stone Blush texture and French Script brushes plus Topaz Adjust filters. Don't they just look delicious?

Then there's this fun look I got by using Topaz Adjust filters.

Everyday's a special day when I can spend time playing with Photoshop. I love that I can take the worst images that I would have discarded and make them star quality!

Oh yes, I almost forgot. I'm taking another class with Marie Otero called "Digital Photo Magic". The beautiful Double Delight below is from my week 1 projects.

and finally something a little different for Photo Art Friday. I used Kim Klassen's "Canvas Back" texture.

Hope you are planning on checking out the exquisite art work from everyone participating in

Photo Art Friday.

I'm linking to:

Peace and Love

2011-10-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

This week's submission for Texture Tuesday uses Kim's texture "And Then Some" If you're part of Kim's Test Kitchen, the texture is free to you. I used it primarily to eliminate the background. I added a fill layer to match the sky which was very close to this color in the original image. On each layer I created a layer mask and eliminated anything extraneous from the angel and the foreground. I added a brush from the "Dreamwood - Elbereth de Lioncourt" series. Finally added the text. Somewhere in there I used the poster edges filter.

I know the background blue is pretty wild, but you know how I love drama!

I'm hoping you'll hop over to Kim's blog, take a look at all the artistic submissions and then play along with us. I mean what else are you doing???

Linking to

See you next week.

Santa Barbara Mission - Photo Art Friday

2011-10-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was looking in my "stash" for an image to work on and found this photo of main altar in the Santa Barbara Mission.

There were so many beautiful artifacts and art here, my friend and I enjoyed

an afternoon walking through and seeing everything.

Here's my edit for Photo Art Friday. Bonnie's Goldust Wonder texture seemed so perfect for this image

We loved this beautiful chandelier

and these artifacts.

The grounds were lovely too

To see more wonderful examples of Photo Art Friday click on the badge below and hop on over. Better yet why not join in the fun?

See you next week with more.

Bet You Can't Tell.....

2011-10-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Bet you can't tell I'm playing with my new Photoshop plug-in "Topaz Adjust".

I've done a couple edits here just using presets. For more info on HDR processing you can get a lot of information at these two sites

http://captainkimo.com/enhancing-hdr-images-topaz-adjust and

http://steverichcollectible.blogspot.com/

I started with this original

and did the first edit

and then this edit which is bizarre and, I think, cool.

Bonnie said this week's Photo Art Friday theme is "sky's the limit" so I'm linking to:

Please click on the badge above and stop by her site for a glass of champagne and a peek at the other entries. There are some outstanding samples.

Week Three - Finding my Eye

2011-10-17T14:33:00.001-07:00

Week Three's Assignment was to pick an item we photograph frequently and do a "photo shoot" -- take 50 photos of the item of interest from all angles. Then select the best three from these. Notice what our thoughts and feelings are as we are taking the photos.

So, though I didn't take 50 photos, I did take quite a few of my garden Buddha. I collect Buddhas, and he is one of my favorites. I always like taking photos in my garden. When photographing the Buddha, I always feel a sense of tranquility and peace. This time was no exception. I love his hands, his feet, his peaceful expression. I'm also inspired to live my life more simply.

While doing the shoot, I did notice that in the beginning I felt a sense of losing track of time - almost a meditative state. However, as I took more and more shots, I began to get a little anxious that I was overdoing the exercise. I began to lose the joy of the process.

These photos below are the best of the "shoot".

I could sit and gaze at him for long periods of time. He is concrete which I interpret as a metaphor for strength, patience and resilience. I like that he is not bothered by the moss patina that is covering him. He simply sits in silence unbothered by anything happening in the world outside.

Swirl Technique for Photo Art Friday

2011-10-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

I tried a new fun technique which only takes a couple minutes. It's somewhat addictive. For a tutorial go to Steve's blog and follow his easy instructions.

Run your mouse over the image and see the before shot. Actually I had more of a challenge getting the "mouseover" technique to work than I did making the "swirl". I watched Kim Klassen's tutorial on the mouseover. I had done it before on a couple of my photos, but I was never able to do it again. I would always be in a hurry to get my post up for the challenge and I would just get frustrated. When I found Kim's tutorial video, I was so excited and thought I would finally get it down. It did not work! Arghhh!!! Okay, I know HTML is fussy and you absolutely cannot mess with those quotation mark thingies. I was sure I had everything just so, but no, I did not. So I started over again and finally it worked, so run your mouse over it 100 times if you wish. I plan to do just that.
Then I decided to tweak this photo a bit more. The results are below

From top left clockwise

1. Elements of Jupiter texture from PDPA hard light

2. Elements of Jupiter texture color blend

3. Elements of Jupiter texture difference blend

4. Elements of Jupiter plus Bon Jour, ma deuce texture from PDPA pin light blend

Both of these textures were free on Bonnie's website. Go investigate.

Here's to a great week!

I'm linking to:

I Found Some New Resources.....

2011-10-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have to say I'm excited that I've discovered a couple new resources. Some of us in the blogging world are still trying to learn our way around Blogger or other blog formats. I was cruising through Texture Tuesday entries on Kim's blog. I found Elaine's blog and was so impressed with her work that I decided to look at the rest of her blog. Her blog is new and she has spent quite a bit of time on Google to get information on how to do whatever on her blog. Through her research she found out how to eliminate the shadows on images posted on Blogger. Depends on the template you are using, but with my template Blogger does use a border/shadow on the images. I drove myself crazy trying to figure out how to get rid of them. Elaine had a link to YoBoy who has all kinds of wonderful information and tips for Blogger. I was able to eliminate those pesky shadows. I plan to spend more time on his site to see if I can learn a few more things.

Red for Texture Tuesday

2011-10-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

When Kim said our theme for this week would be red, I was all over it. I already had this image of the flashy red amaryllis from last Christmas. I used a layer of Kim's "Inspired Magic" and a layer of her "February Magic Edges" on screen blend mode.

I know there will be all kinds of beautiful red expressions at Kim's site, so be sure to check it out, or better yet, why don't you submit your own red photo.

Have a great week everyone.

Linking to:

Photo Art Friday - Abstract Art

2011-10-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

This week I had fun using a tutorial that Bonnie of Pixel Dust Photo Art provided on

her blog. She gave some tips on working with a photo to turn it into an Abstract art piece.

First, the original

Then the first edit

And now I'm really having fun with blend modes, filters and textures

The final edit.

I used Bonnie's Abstract Scratches on the first edit

and then her

Abstract Splotches on the final edit.

If you want to have some fun with your post processing, hop on over to

Bonnie's blog and try her tutorial.

Linking to:

A Moment of Rest

2011-10-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

The theme for Texture Tuesday this week is Gratitude

Sometimes I get so caught up in what is happening that I need to catch my breath.

This image gives me a feeling of peace and is symbolic to me of a moment of rest.

I've used Kim's Autumn Burst, which has become one of my favorites, and Cream in My Coffee textures here.

Linking to:

Have a delightful week!

Imagine

2011-09-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

Some of you have seen me use

this image of a mannequin in previous posts. I just love her, so

I'm using her again.

Layer 1 is one of my painting texture/backgrounds

Layer 2 - I duplicated the background in overlay blend

Layer 3 - I layered the mannequin image

Layer 4 - another duplicate of my background - this time on Multiply

Layer 5 - A texture called "it's all about color - medium copper"

Sorry, for the life of me I don't remember where I got it. If anyone knows, please leave a comment or email me.

Layer 6- Pixel Dust Photo Art "dream" overlay in linear light blend

Layer 7 - I rotated PDPA "dream" overlay 180º and used hard light blend

Layer 8 - I added one of my own textures on color burn

All blends were 100%

Layer 9 - added text

Linking to

Don't forget to click on the badge above so you can see many more fun works of art for Photo Art Friday.Have a great week everyone.

The Theme is Love

2011-09-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Our theme for Texture Tuesday is Love

I remember so many years ago, well not that many, we wore wrist corsages for our proms. I always loved gardenia corsages. Even though they would turn brown in a day or so, the fragrance was absolute heaven! As long as I've had a garden I've had gardenias. This is probably the last bloom for this season, as the weather is starting to turn cooler. Whenever I see gardenias, I'm reminded of love. As the fragrance of these flowers is very heady, so is love. I used KKlassen's "All My Loving" and one other (can't remember now - should have labeled the layer, right?? Right!)

Anyway be sure to click on the badge in my sidebar so that you can continue on with many more beautiful photos.

See you next week everyone.

Finding My Eye Class Week 2

2011-09-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Finding My Eye Journal

This section is for my assignments for the class

I'm taking a class at Kat Eye View. Our first assignment is "Why I Take Photos".

I've attempted to analyze here why I take photographs. There was a time when I would
intermittently take photos
of family and events so
that we would have memories to savor.
I love looking through old photos of our family. I do think these memories are
a very important part of
life. I was not particularly disciplined about taking these photos however.

Now, though

I still take photos of my family, my impetus to have any disciplined frequency

is for artistic purposes. I wanted to learn PSE so I could play with my art images. Then I decided I had better invest in a decent camera and learn how to use it. I'm still learning how

to use it. I have taken all kinds of classes on line for art and PSE. I've also taken a class or two on photography. With time

my skills have increased, but I'm still really new with photography. I enjoy it

and I enjoy manipulating

images to get different artistic effects. I love looking at others' blogs and seeing their art and photos. Starting a blog was really

an adventure for me since

computers were somewhat new to me. HTML? What the heck is that? I still

don't know much about that, just enough to be dangerous. I took a class on blogging design. When I look at others' blogs I wonder

how they were able to

do some of the things they do to make their blogs look so inviting. So I've worked on that too. So here I am in another class to learn more about myself and about the process.

Process of Elimination

2011-09-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's Photo Art Friday again.
I found Kat's website while blog hopping the other day. I'm insatiable when it comes to learning about photography and Photoshop. She did a wonderful post on the "process of elimination" here. It involves cropping an area of interest from your photo. After reading this post and looking at her examples I decided to give it a whirl. I found this photo,

which was pretty ordinary and way too busy. I cropped this piece of it

and from that I started my editing for different looks.

by converting to black/white and posterizing it.

Then I decided to get a bit artsy and layered Nick Fortune's "Green #1 Texture" over it.

I played around with filters and voila!

Okay, I went back and played some more for this look. It was just crying for some fun text.

Possibilities are endless as you all know.

New Brush

2011-09-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to find photoshop brushes that look like labels or adhesive tape. I found some really cute brushes that look like polka dot ribbon but can't seem to download them. I get a Gimp PDF file for Windows even though it clearly states it is for Mac. Oh well, I did find this set of brushes by Invisibles Now here. and promptly played a bit on one of my journal pages.

I used these in combination with the "rough typewriter" font. I guess I'll keep looking. There sure are a lot of really cool free brushes out there. I'd like to see one like these with white letters instead of transparent. Now that I think of it, there is plain "tape" included which I could use as a white brush and then brush the letters over that. Then it would look like a label that came from my old label maker.

Summer Lovin'

2011-09-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hello readers. I'm playing Texture Tuesday once again. This week was a free week - no theme, just use at least one layer of one of Kim's textures. This is one of my favorite photos taken of one of my grands at a local beach. First the original......

and next the edited photo.

I duplicated the image and used overlay 100%

then I added Kim's "stained linen" overlay 89%

I duplicated that layer using a blend mode of multiply at 62%

I added Kim's "cool grunge" linear light 100% and removed some of the texture from the figure.

Finally I added Kim's "summer lovin" multiply 100%.

There are a million ways this photo could be edited. Actually I did try several different textures and blends. In the end I decided on this.

Summer is sadly ending and the leaves are beginning to fall. Soon we will switch from daylight savings time to regular time and the days will get even shorter. I always look forward to Dec. 21 because after that the days start to lengthen. I know spring and summer can't be too far away.
See you next week for more Texture Tuesday fun.

Captiva Sunset

2011-09-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here it is Friday again and I barely have my post ready. I've joined Photo Art Friday hosted by Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art. Stop by and see the other great contributions. Also Bonnie has great tips and examples for PS addicts. She is generous in giving away textures and sharing her knowledge.

My entry is a photo taken on Captiva Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Though we live very close to the beach here in Southern California, I love Florida and its beaches. The sand is different, the light is different, the air is different. It's just as beautiful as our coast.

Every night, people gather with their beach chairs and wine to see the sunset. There is magic in the air at this time of day on the beach. The weather is balmy and one can get lost in the whole affair. Though I love this photo with the silhouette of pines, it is not as clear as I would like, so I decided to "art it up". I really did not need to do much.

I did a levels adjustment, used Bonnie's texture 0514 darken 100% and removed a bit of it from the sun and pines, then used texture 41 from Flickr_Lenabem hard light 100%.

Have a great week and see you next Photo Art Friday.

Things to Do

2011-09-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

For Texture Tuesday this week's theme is "Do". I am an inveterate list maker. So what to "do" but make my "to do" list. I used one layer of Kim's Autumn Burst hard light 60%, one layer of Kim's Scripted Autumn soft light 100%. I also used a texture of legal paper (can't remember the source) multiply 40%. Then I added my list items.

Click on the badge below to see lots more fun examples of the "Do" theme using Kim's textures.

In Memoriam 9/11/2001

2011-09-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed. I still remember that morning getting a call from a good friend telling me to turn on my TV. She said "We're being attacked". It was truly frightening. Even though it did not directly affect me or mine, it affected all of us. Never again will we be able to feel that naive innocence as a country. That said, I really think most of us would like to see our troops come home from a senseless war. This is my homage to our fallen -- soldiers, firefighters/rescue people and the occupants of the twin towers.

I took these images at a park near us just prior to Memorial Day this year. The flags are erected every year. A beautiful sculpture of a Marine stands there as a reminder of all our fallen who have died in service to our country. That includes fire and police.

May we always stand tall and proud. May we never forget.

Jazzy Succulents

2011-09-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

This photo was really fun to work with. You can see the original from the previous post. It was so terrible I almost deleted it. Then I decided to see what all I could do with it. Here's the latest incarnation using Pixel Dust Photo Art's "dappled dawn" on color burn and "silent memory" also on color burn, and then poster edges. Now I can really see the insect on the flower. Can't tell if it's a bee or?

I'm using this for my Photo Friday Art entry.

You can see more of the fun - click on the badge below or in the sidebar.

Thanks, Bonnie, for hosting this fun weekly event and for your artistic textures.

Glorious Succulents

2011-09-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

Texture Tuesday's entry uses Kim Klassen's "cracker jack" texture. The original which is at the bottom of the post is a very poor image. With the help of her texture using a linear burn blend and her "leaf" texture -- lighten blend, the image just popped. I did not even see the insect on the flower until I did this. Thanks to Shadowhouse Creations for the mask/frame.

Every image is a new image with PS and textures!!

Hope everyone enjoyed the Labor Day week-end.

Here's the original

Not very exciting, huh?

Be sure to link over to Kim's blog and view all the other entries. On second thought, why not join the fun. There are all levels of expertise participating in Texture Tuesday. Many of us have taken Kim's expert classes, some of which are free and some for a fee. I have learned so much from these classes. If you don't know how to use textures, her classes are very enlightening! Try it, you might become as addicted as we are.

Trump Card

2011-08-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

Today's Texture Tuesday theme is "orange". I vacillated between an image of an orange object or....? Finally I decided to use one of my collages and one of my paintings combined with Kim's "Old World" texture using hard light blend. You can see more Texture Tuesday examples here. I think this texture really added to the orange of the originals, so put your sunglasses on everyone!

You can get in on the fun every week. Just go to Kim's website to get the instructions and then link your image on Tuesday to the group of photos. I've met some wonderful friends this way.

Experiments

2011-08-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

I think it's fun to experiment, and I do so on a regular basis with PSE. I've learned so much and yet I've barely scratched the surface. I'm eternally grateful for all the online classes and the teachers who share their knowledge.

After spending a little time on Pixel Dust Photo Art's blog, I'm experimenting with some of Bonnie's "tutorials" and using some of her textures here.

On this one I used PDPA's "Je Me Souviens" ad "Goldust Wonder" and "Texture B" from Susan Tuttle in her Digital Expressions Book.

On this one I used PDPA's "Je Me Souviens" and also used the difference blend mode.

I just amazes me how many different looks one can get using PSE and textures!

On this next one, I really went all out for color and used a hard light blend mode on my Asian collage.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is or could be affected by Hurricane Irene. May they all be safe and get all the support they need.

We do not see things as they are. We see them as we are.

The Talmud

~Peace~

Garden Sketches

2011-08-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

We've been so fortunate to have our tiny garden, and I do mean tiny, give us a great harvest of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, bell peppers and lettuce. These sketches are of some of that harvest.

If anyone knows how to make these photos overlap on Blogger, I would love to hear from you. Either email me or leave a comment.

Peace

Days of Summer

2011-08-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

As summer draws to a close I think of all the fun things we do, such as

picnic at the beach,

go to a matinee movie,

soccer camp,

church camp,

hang out with friends,

sleep in

Ah, the possibilities are endless. Too bad summer is not endless.

Enjoy the rest of summer!

Butterfly Collage

2011-08-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Still enamored with Nick's "Green #1, I decided to apply it to one of my collaged journal pages. It does wonderful things for images. Here is the original. I love the gold mica flecks in it which don't show up very well on the computer monitor.

And here is the edited version

I used two of Kim Klassen's brushes, one from her "affirmation" collection and one from her "touch of whimsey" collection. Then I added a frame for this look and Kim's Inspire brush.

Thanks, Kim and Nick! You make my images look all dressed up!!

It's the Little Things - Texture Tuesday

2011-08-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's our theme for this week - the little things.

I must have been stuck on little "animals" or creatures....

Take one tiny hummingbird baby in the nest, add

a layer of bokeh and a layer of Kim Klassen's

"scripted", play around with some filters

and voila!! There you have it. Kim is so generous, she gives

many of her textures away. And she teaches some

great classes on textures. Be sure to visit her site! There are many more examples of various artists' work there as well.

And for my next number, I used Kim's "por vous" and also Nick Fortune's gorgeous "green #1" texture which you can have for free. Just hop on over to his site. The image is courtesy of

Flickr Commons.

I played around with blending modes on this one too. Have some fun getting some great looks with these textures.

It's the little things that make me happy like doing just that!

Ballet Practice

2011-08-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

This image is a combo of my watercolor and a photo of ballet dancers on the floor.

I used the invert filter on the watercolor, added the image of the ballet dancers. adjusted brightness/contrast, merged visible layers, then did a hue saturation adjustment. Next I added a Kim Klassen's Dusty Rose texture soft light at 100% and her Dream texture darken at 100% and last one of her cool, fun brushes in the lower right corner. If you roll your mouse over the image you should see the original image.

Enjoy your day and dream your dreams.

Small Treasures

2011-08-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

My entry for this week's Texture Tuesday shows a few of my favorite things including the starfish and sponge from my bathroom. I made the little box wrapped in a vintage paper and covered with beautiful pearl buttons.

I started with a really poor quality photo, removed the color cast, did a levels adjustment, added Kim Klassen's Canvasback texture soft light 100%, then Kim's Luminous texture soft light 100% and French Kiss' Paris Papers texture multiply 38%. Go check out the great textures she offers, many of which are free! Finally, I added French Kiss' French Script brushes.

Have a happy, prosperous day.

Hydrangeas in Glass Pitcher

2011-08-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Practicing my watercolor and sketching, this is the sequence of steps. I'm trying to decide if I want to add a border. Seems like it needs something to finish it off, but then again, sometimes it's difficult to know when to stop.

First, the sketch....

Then, the first go round of watercolor

Then another round to add more color and depth...

and then the finished (I think) product.

And finally after a little edit in Picnik

Have a happy day everyone!!!

Dreamy Action

2011-07-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Our Theme for this week's Texture Tuesday is "Dream". My interpretation includes my garden Buddha and leaves from my Ginko tree. I used Kim's "She Loves You" and two layers of "February Magic" here. Kim just posted a brand new texture called
"dream". Can't wait to try it -- maybe next week.....

Have a dreamy day!!

More Photoshop Madness

2011-07-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

The image I used for this post is of a store display at my local ZGallery. I love wandering through this store and looking at all the glitzy glamorous displays. They are great at merchandising.

This was done using Nelly Nero's Strawberry Delight action, gaussian blur and poster edges, followed by Kim Klassen's Life's Good texture.

Skinny Mini - Week 5

2011-07-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

I processed these images for week 5 homework for Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini Photoshop class.

The instructions were to use what we have learned on two images -- one darker and one lighter and more open.

I practiced using various blending modes and textures plus text.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Roses and Mums

2011-07-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

I played quite a lot with this image. I used Nelly Nero's "Hint of Vintage" action. Adjusted saturation, Used Kim's "Aurora" texture on multiply at 71% and again at 100%. I added my texture of droplets on leaves and "brushed" it off parts of the image. I used blend mode of Multiply on the next two layers at 70% and 100% Then I added Kim's "Not Too Shabby" on soft light at 50% plus "February Magic Edges" on screen at 100%.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of textures, so I can play and be a little more creative with them

Why don't you join us for some fun with Kim's textures every week. Almost all of her textures are free, so get on board.

Shell Sketch

2011-07-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

This week's homework. Hopefully I'll be able to do a couple more sketches this week. I do like the way Alisa teaches us to shade around the object to make it pop.

I changed the placement of the shells slightly for a little different angle. With the image on the right I added a bit more watercolor detail as she is teaching us.

"PInk"

2011-07-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

This week's theme for Texture Tuesdays is "Pink". I've desaturated the original and painted back in the pink of the camellias. I added Kim's "February Magic" soft light at 100% and her latest "Aurora" multiply at 100%.

I really love the pink camellias floating in the fountain. They remind me of a very special day when my husband and I were married in our backyard.

A Day with Grand #2

2011-07-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

I love spending a day with one or both of my granddaughters. I wish they would not grow up so fast! Or I wish I could keep a copy of them at various ages so I could take them out and play with them.

There's never enough time.....

Watercolor Class

2011-07-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm taking an online watercolor class from Alisa Burke. If you haven't been to her blog, run, don't walk to see all her spectacular art. She's huge on color and since I am as well, I really like what she does. I've never really done any watercolor. I've always felt it was rather unforgiving, but I decided to try it. Her classes are certainly reasonable enough. Here are my first crude attempts to "loosen up" and "create shapes".

Online classes are the way to go. I like that I can be in my "jams" at midnight, I can always see the instructor (videos). I don't have someone in front of me blocking my view. Also most classes allow me to go at my own pace. I like it when they give me continued access to videos, so that I can return at any time and refresh my memory. Some wonderful watercolorists to visit: Lin at View from the Oak and Karen from A Scrapbook of Inspiration . There's also Jane LaFazio of Janeville . So go and be inspired by these wonderful artist/bloggers. Have a full of wonder day!

The Theme is 3 (Three)

2011-07-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

This week the theme is "three".

I used one of my paintings as a background and then a layer of Kim's texture called "Sweettart". I applied a brush I made with my ginko drawing. Then I added the number 3 with a drop shadow and bevel to represent a playing card. The font is called "Monbijoux". I finished with a stroke selection around the whole thing.

Be sure to look at all the other interpretations of "three" by visiting Kim's website - just click on the "Texture Tuesday" badge below.

Have a marvelous week!

This Week for TT

2011-06-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

For this week's Texture Tuesday I used the same image from last week and a different "recipe" plus Kim's "golden" texture.

Have a great day!

Too Soon

2011-06-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

I used Kim's "February Magic Edges" texture on this photo for Texture Tuesday's challenge.

Just yesterday my baby granddaughter was born and today she is almost grown. I look at her and

wonder where the time went.

She is a junior in high school. We are going to

look at colleges next week. I sometime wish

they could stay young and innocent

forever. Soon she will graduate from college. Perhaps she will marry and have children and/or have a wonderful career. I wish for her

all the happiness and success she could

ever want.

Sketch Practice

2011-06-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

Small sketch and watercolor practice -- I tell myself I'm going to sketch every day, but the days do get away and I really have to push myself. I find it relaxing and I enjoy doing it. It is just finding the time or making the time.

For Love

2011-06-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

My entry for Texture Tuesday

This image was a challenge to work with - tried several textures and played with

the blend modes and filters.

I finally settled on Kim's "Cool Grunge" and "February Magic". Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers. They just look romantic and

old fashioned with their beautiful pompoms and leafy green foliage.

Have a beautiful Tuesday and be sure to click on the badge here to see many more works of art using Kim's textures.

The beauty of Nature

2011-06-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Rose w French Script

2011-06-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Oooh la la, a beautiful texture from Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art and gorgeous French script brushes from French Kisses Textures transform this simple photo of a rose into a more interesting image. Do visit their websites and enjoy the creativity. I could spend several hours on those websites alone.

I've been using Flickr's Picnik editor to get some different looks. Here I used the Mirror frame. There are so many ways to change an image to give it some drama.

Wild & Free

2011-06-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

I've always loved watching fish in acquariums as well as in the wild. These koi live at the Sherman Gardens, a botanical garden in our area. I'm fascinated by their beauty, grace and gorgeous colors.

The texture I used is "goldust wonder" by Pixel Dust Art

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” ~ Aristotle

I'm Late, I'm Late for a Very Important Date!!

2011-06-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

My entry for Texture Tuesday. I used two layers of Kim Klassen's "frosted" texture. Click on the Texture Tuesday icon in the sidebar to see more of this week's submission.

Have a full of wonder week.

Sketches of the Moment

2011-06-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

A couple sketches from last week. I edited them in Picnik on Flickr to add the frames. I'm just using a cheap sketchbook for journaling so the paper buckles a bit. They are done in the moment very quickly.

Mouseover Technique!

2011-06-05T13:08:00.001-07:00

Yay, I was finally able to post using the mouseover technique or rollover technique. If you rollover the image you will then see the original image. A huge thank you to Geri Centonze of My Heart Art for helping me with the technique. Thanks, Geri, for writing the code for me. I was so exasperated that I could not get it just right myself.

Garden Collage

2011-06-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

Have a full of wonder day!!

In My Friend's Garden

2011-06-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

In my friend's garden I am excited with all the beautiful flowers and all the romantic decor -- birdhouses, birdbaths, ornamental sculpture. Every time I see her, I bring my camera and snap the progression.

It is now June. The weather has been cool all spring in Southern California, so her garden is a riot of bloom.Her garden reminds me of my grandmother's backyard. My grandmother had a green thumb. She could throw a seed, and she would have a showpiece of blooms in no time.

We had veggies all year because my grandmother and mother would spend hours canning -- green beans, tomatoes and peaches. They would make "bread and butter" pickles.

There were snapdragons, peonies, roses, geraniums, marigolds and zinnias.

From the most difficult to grow to the almost weeds, she could grow them, and they all looked like they were meant to be together.

Thanks to Phyllis, I can bring forth those memories of my grandmother's backyard.

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."~ Claude Monet

Tranquility

2011-05-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

This week's Texture Tuesday challenge - to use an image that represents garden and edit with one of Kim's textures.

Layer 1 - I used an image of my garden Buddha with his puka shell necklace.

Layer 2 - Stained linen texture saturation 100% and remove texture from bkgrnd. Use poster edge filter and remove from subject.

Layer 3 - text

Layer 4 - another layer of stained linen texture - normal 28%

Layer 5 - apply linen brush

Layer 6 - watermark

Have a wonderful week. Thanks to Kim for her terrific textures. Click on the Texture Tuesday icon in the sidebar and have fun looking at all the participants' photo edits.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

These images were taken at a park in Newport Beach. Every year they place 1776 flags along this walk. It is called the Walk of Flags. It is an homage to our fallen heroes who have given their lives in service to our country. For these heroes I shall be eternally grateful.

pink geranium

2011-05-24T15:35:00.001-07:00

pink geranium, a photo by hrt2art on Flickr.

My first editing with Picnik. Thank you, Karen of A Scrapbook of Inspiration

geranium splash

2011-05-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

geranium splash, a photo by hrt2art on Flickr.

Another version of the geranium edited in Picnik

Yesteryear

2011-05-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

This week's Texture Tuesday challenge was to use at least one layer of Kim's "Yesteryear" texture. I used two layers and a layer of "Porvous". I really like the text/writing on "Porvous". I love doors and photograph whenever I have a chance. This one is a few streets over from where I live. They wouldn't recognize it here.

To see more just click on the icon below.

Create Mixed Media Retreat

2011-05-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

I took two great classes at this art retreat. Jeannie Palmer Moore taught "Sketch and Stitch". We first sketched on canvas, then painted with water soluble crayons. We added a section of text which was adhered to a thermofax film. I also added two more eggplant which were sketched on deli paper and then painted also with water soluble crayons. Christine Adolph was in the class, and she used Twinkling H2O's which gave the canvas a bit of sparkle. I want to add some more finishing touches to mine.

And

I took the "Free Motion Graffiti" class from Alisa Burke. In the morning we watched her demo a bit and then painted our fabric using brushes, stencils, stamps, markers etc. In the afternoon we cut up our fabric and sewed onto fleece or batting.

I'm just beginning to sew, so getting the hang of the free motion foot was quite interesting. I didn't need to worry about it though because the idea was to make lines and use the sewing machine as a "paint brush". This was quite fun and I came away with an almost finished product that I really like.

Both classes were good for me because I learned to use the free motion foot and because both instructors were marvelous, giving of their time and talent!

I believe Cloth Paper and Scissors will be sponsoring the retreat here again next year. I hope so. There were so many classes I wanted to take. Maybe next year.

Desaturated Tulip - Texture Tuesday

2011-05-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I placed the wrong photo in this post. The vintage post is the next post down. If you click at the top of my blog you will get to see that post as well as this one. Thanks!
To get this look I followed Kim Klassen's Textured Daisy tutorial from May 6. Thank you, Kim!! I really like being able to lose the background and give it the lighter look.

I used Kim's "February Magic Edges" texture and a couple of my own textures.

I wish I could do the "mouse over technique" but for now I'll have to show the original image separately.

Happy Texture Tuesday

Rolling Pasture

2011-05-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

This reminds me of some of the paintings by old masters - the bucolic farmland paintings darkened by age.

I added the following textures: "Alchemy 53" by Shadowhouse Creations overlay @ 26%, "Grunge Badge" by Erica Paree hard light @ 71%, duplicated "Grunge Badge" hard light@ 51%, Kim Klassen's "Nutmeg" overlay @ 47% and "Explored #4" by Kandee (Flickr) overlay @75%. A great big thank you to all of you who create these great textures. They add so much to our photos.

Textures, Textures...

2011-05-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's Texture Tuesday again. I played around with several textures and with Coffeeshop's "Pink Glow" action. The results were so different. On this first image I used Kim's "Burnt Edges" texture.

and on the image below I used a texture from "Ben's Collection" and "Soft Palette". The action was fun to work with because I could turn off a layer or manipulate a layer if I wanted a different look. I just loaded Nelly Nero's actions - 25 of them. So I'm looking forward to playing more with those.

Wishing you all a wonderful textured week. Be sure to click on the Texture Tuesdays badge to see many more artistic displays of textured images. You will be very busy!!

Pretty Flower Pot

2011-05-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

My subject today is a pot of anthurium my husband gave me. It sits on the kitchen windowsill and greets me each time I'm at the sink.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.

~Aristotle

Cuppa Latte?

2011-05-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was to use Kim's "Serendipity" texture on an image of a cup. I took this shot at a local Javatini's.

Happy Texture Tuesday everyone!

Yellow Bird

2011-05-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful 75 degrees here in Southern Calif. Yesterday I went to Birds Unlimited to get a bird feeder and left with a lot more than I had anticipated. That is so typical for me. When I get on a mission, I don't know when to stop. I really want to encourage more wildlife in our backyard. I now have a mealworm feeder, a tube feeder, a house wren birdhouse and "best quality" bird seed. Oh, and a guide to Southern Calif. birds. Can't wait to get it all installed. I think I will get a hummer feeder too.

I'm paying homage to all the beautiful wild birds today with this sketch.

This is a warbler which I don't think we'll see in our backyard. It will, however, be fun to see what we do attract.

I'm also going to put in some butterfly-friendly plants. We have lots of butterflies now but we can always use more.

A Little Departure

2011-04-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I sketched. This blog started because I had read Danny Gregory's book "The Creative License". I didn't think I could draw but I really wanted to try. I've gotten away from my everyday practice and I need to get back to it. It's amazing how rusty I've become with sketching since I've been so involved in digital alterations.

Danny's book is so inspiring and everytime I look at it I get re-inspired.

I've also been inspired by Alisa Burke's blog where she shows her sketchbook.

I really want to get in the habit again.

Shore Bird

2011-04-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mike Baird of Flickr Commons for the use of his image. I used two of Kim Klassen's textures -- one called 'Robins Egg' and one from her 'Ben's Collection'.

I like the results. I really did not have to do that much processing as the textures themselves created the look.

This week's challenge will be to use an image of a coffee or tea cup and Kim's 'Serendipity' texture. I really enjoy seeing all the entries. So much talent out there.

Have a great week!

Tuesday Texture - Spring

2011-04-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken last week in my friend's garden. It is very small and just packed with beautiful flowers, vines, and bird houses. Reminds me of my grandmother's backyard.

I used Kim Klassen's "Sweetreat" and "Silence" on both of these photos.

And on the birdhouse photo I also used Anna's #86 texture.

I hope you all have an inspiring Tuesday.

Mourning Cloak

2011-04-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

When I went out to feed my birds Friday a.m., I discovered that the butterfly had emerged from the chrysalis that had been hanging underneath the eave of our house. The light was not good and I wanted to wait for better light to take the picture, but decided that it might have flown away by the time I returned from the gym. Sure enough, it was gone when I returned. Every day now in the morning and afternoon I see a mourning cloak flying around in the yard. I'm going to assume it's the same butterfly.

Birds of Paradise From Another Planet

2011-04-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's Texture Tuesday again. I had great fun with this. I already had the photo which had been digitally altered. I added Kim Klassen's "robins egg" texture - blend mode "difference" at 88% opacity and used the posterize filter. I quite like the results.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Cactus Fountain

2011-04-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, this truly is a fountain. It resides in the yard of a friend in Tucson, AZ. It is metal, and lethal, if you brush against it. Lots of pointed stickers on it. It makes the most peaceful sound.

It's my entry for Texture Tuesdays. I've used "warm sun" texture by Kim Klassen and a cracked soil texture from somewhere - just can't remember where I got it.

Painted Clutch

2011-04-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

I found the directions for this in the Jan/Feb 09 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors

I'm just beginning to work with fabric and sewing, and this was a very simple project to do.

I'm so excited to be attending the Create Mixed Media Retreat sponsored by CPS. It is right in my "backyard". Both the classes I've chosen focus on fabric and machine stitching. The clutch project featured in the above mentioned issue of CPS was submitted by Alisa Burke and one of the classes I'll be taking is taught by her. My end result is not as fancy as hers (I forgot to line with brown paper bag) but I had fun doing this first one. I used sandwiched plastic bags and ironed/fused them together (you can see the Target logo faintly in this example) and proceeded from there.

If you live in Orange County or a reasonable distance in Southern California, don't miss this Create Mixed Media Retreat in May.

Day 19

2011-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here I used the basic image, cropped to the area I wanted, added a wonderful texture that I made in DJ Pettitt's class. It makes the image look as if it has water droplets on the flowers. I added some text and the frame and Voila!

Spring is only six days away! Bravo!

Daily Joy

2011-03-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

Today's joy is...............

driving down Pacific Coast Hwy. after my workout, listening to The Who singing

"Baba O'Riley/Teenage Wasteland" and stopping at the local Starbucks for my

double espresso and muffin.

The sun is shining brightly - it's supposed to be in the low 70's at the beach.

The sycamore trees are just starting to leaf out. In the tree world here the sycamores seem to be the harbinger of spring. Later the liquidambars will leaf out.

This gives me such joy it's priceless!

All of this was inspired by reading an entry in "First Sip". The selection was titled

"Live in Joy"

Many times I visit this blog first thing in the morning and I feel

centered and empowered for

the day.

Day 18

2011-03-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

Day 18 was done using my image, my texture and a texture of Kim Klassen's. I followed one of her video tutorials in her Test Kitchen.

I look at this beautiful rose and wonder if Spring will ever arrive. The weather is

teasing us. Every few days we get a spurt of warmer weather, the sun actually shines through the clouds for a few hours.

Day 17

2011-03-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Inspired by so many photography sites and all the digital transformations, here are tulips three ways......

first edit

2nd edit

3rd edit

original image

Textures by Morguefile, Kim Klassen

and

Shadowhouse Creations.

Textures make

all the difference in obtaining the different looks.

Day 16?

2011-02-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

First I want to show you the wonderful wall collage I received from Laura. I was so excited to open my
mailbox and find the package from her.
I love the colors and the marvelous face and I love all the embellishments.

I'm not sure

what the paper is but it almost feels like Tyvek or work towels. Isn't she just adorable. She's

wearing her Easter bonnet.

but....

where is spring??

I'm posting my

Day 16 below. I used Kim Klassen's texture and my image from Disney Concert Hall grounds.

I believe in God only I spell it nature

~Frank Lloyd Wright~

Day 15

2011-02-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

Well, One World One Heart is over, the gifts are mailed out and now I can get back to my 40 days of Photoshop. It really was fun and I met a lot of new people. I've been so busy with visiting the OWOH blogs (and I did not see even half of them) that I had no time for my art. I even won a gift - a beautiful wall collage from Laura at Outside the Lines. Wander over and take a look at her work. Woo hooooo!!! Thank you Laura.

So here's today's post the 'fore and after.

Have a beautiful day!

Announcing Winners!!!

2011-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a fun ride OWOH has been. I've seen so many blogs and met so many new people.
I have four gifts to send to four talented and lovely artists.
Thanks to everyone who visited my blog and my thanks also to Lisa for hosting this event.
Winner #1 is Heidi aka "Digital Misfit". She wins the print.
Winner #2 is Tee at The Altered Paper
Winner #3 is Cheryl at Artsy Fartsy
Winner #4 is Jenn at Just Jenn Designz
Winners 2,3 and 4 will be receiving a mini zine.
I will be emailing you to get your mailing addresses. Congratulations!!!
Woo hoo hoo!!

OWOH

2011-02-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

This post will remain at the top until Feb. 17

This is the 5th year that Lisa has hosted this One World One Heart project. As usual I'm late getting

on the bus, but at least I am on it for the 5th and final year, I think. For all the information please go to Lisa's post which explains all the details.

I live in Costa Mesa, CA about 50 miles south of Los Angeles, CA. I started my self-taught art in 1995, beginning with rubber stamps. I thought I would save so much money on greeting cards!! Ha! I don't want to tell you how much I've spent over the years for art supplies. I went from rubber stamps to acrylic painting, mixed media, collage and then to digital art. For the past year or so I've taken online classes in Photoshop from several superb teachers. I love the internet because I have been exposed to so many different people and have enjoyed following their blogs. When I found out about this project I signed up to meet even more people and see their blogs.

I will be looking forward to meeting all of you.

For my "door prizes" I plan to give away a print of the artwork below. Its one of my acrylic paintings which I digitally altered with the addition of various elements.

Also I will offer these three handmade mini book/zines.

Please leave a comment and take all the time you want visiting. I can't wait to meet you and visit your blog. The drawing will happen on February 17. So don't waste any time!

Day 14

2011-02-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

I love the structure of the phalaenopsis. It is so graceful.

Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Day 13

2011-02-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

My image with Kim Klassen's textures. I would probably not think to use black textures, but they
are much like masks. I used the screen blend mode and voila! The transformation was terrific.

I've always been an incurable romantic. Mike and I were married in the back yard and we put camellias in the fountain for the occasion.